Portamento valve for brass wind instruments



Aug. 26, 1952 A. SOLARZ 2,608,122

PORTAMENTO VALVE FOR BRASS WIND INSTRUMENTS Filed March 21, 1950 Anton 50 larz IN VEN TOR.

Patented Aug. 26, 1952 ES. PATENT PORTAMENTO VALVE FOR BRASS WIND INSTRUMENTS OFFICE Anton Solar z, Minneapolis, Minn.

ApplicationMarch 21, 1950, Serial No. 151,003

' 8 Claims. 1

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in brass wind instruments, for

example; cornets, trumpets, trombones and the like, and has reference in particular to walls and means, through the medium of which, a player may effectively produce an acceptable portamento commonly known, among musicians as a gliss.

It is common knowledge that by half-valving on a trumpet or cornet, a player can easily produce an acceptable gliss. However, in most instances, the alternate valving result is imperfect due to the fact that there is an occurrence of true tones blending in with the gliss. With the trombonist, a good portamento is'truly difficult of accomplishment and, at best, is inadequate because he has to resort either to a smear (produced with adept handling of the slide) or by dexterity in what is called lipping a cupped mouthpiece.

Confronted with the stated problem of executing an effective portamento on the basis of makeshift techniques, I have discovered the need for an auxiliary mechanical aid which can be relied upon to do what, I believe, has to be done to properly solve the problem. Studying the given problem and after experimenting with divers devices I have evolved and produced a reliable mode and means of producing a portamento effect in which players will find their needs fully met. contained, and available for the split-second (usually the interval of time involved) that said portamento is employed to slur from one tone to another.

The underlying principle which I have conceived and. found workable has to do with venting or shunting the incoming air column into the atmosphere so as to positively interrupt said column before it reaches the regular or conventional valving means. In reducing my ideas to practice I have reasoned that a predetermined portion of the air column (the potential tone waves) has to be interrupted and diverted from the tone passage of the tubing to such a degree that it is momentarily shunted into the atmosphere. This result is accomplished by employing a port or orifice in the tone passage and, with the aid of a simple normally closed valve, bleeding or releasing the desired amount of air, during which interval or phase, the regular valving means of the horn need not be touched. Briefly then, the invention has to do with a brass wind instrument, a trombone for instance, which is conventional in all other respects but is equipped with an added valved vent which, for all practical purposes, must be normally closed and should be on the mouth- 2 piece at the juncture of the neck and cup portions of the latter.

A further object of the invention is, therefore, to provide a trombone mouthpiece having a portamento valve with the valve so made that the lever or finger-piece is in a position to be quickly pressed and released by the thumb of the players left hand.

Another object of my invention is to provide, specifically construed, a trumpet or cornet mouthpiece constructed as above, but having added facilities of a remote controlled nature so that the operational position is at the front where they are available for left hand actuation.

In addition to the above, I feel that it is Within the concept of the instant invention to take the position that I have also discovered a new method whereby upon opening an extra port or orifice in the air column between the mouthpiece and re ular valving means and using same alternately in respect to said means, it is possible to produce a clean-cut portamento.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying illustrative drawing.

' In the accompanying sheet of drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designatelike parts throughout the views:

Figure l is a fragmentary perspective view of a conventional-type slide trombone wherein the auxiliary valved port, my invention, is embodied therein;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view, with a portion of the valve broken away, showing how the invention is used, in a remote controlled manner, on What is identifiable either as a comet or a trumpet;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional and elevational view taken on the longitudinal line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a trombone mouthpiece showing a modified form bivalve control.

numeral 5 designates what may be visualized as a conventional slide trombone. I might state that type and includes the usual cup [2 with the lipflange l3 and neck M which telescopes into the socket member ID. Referring now to the mouthpiece H which is best shown in Figure 3, it will be seen that the cup includes theusual cavity or recess I5 which merges into the bore or air passage IS, the latter being enlarged in diameter at l! where it communicates with the main tone or air column in the tubing of the horn. The point [8 is sometimes referred to as the throat and is at the juncture of the neck and cup. In accordance with my invention, a side or lateral orifice or port 19 is provided and this communicates at its inner end with said bore l6 so that its outer end discharges into the atmosphere. The

outer discharge end of the bore is recessed or counterbored as at 20 to provide aseat'for the closing valve 2|. This valve may be of anysuitable construction but is here shown in the form of a padded valve cup ona short arm or lever 22 .hingedly mounted intermediate its ends on the neck of the mouthpiece asat 23 and closed'by a suitable spring 24. The'operating finger-piece is in the form of a lateral lever and is conveniently located on one side of the mouthpiece adjacent ,to the bell brace 8 where it may be conveniently operated by the thumb of the left hand. The free end of the lever may be suitably shaped as at 25 to facilitate such operation. The valve opens in an upward direction toward the cupof the mouthpiece or in the direction of the player.

In the modification shown in Figure 4, the mouthpiece is denoted by the numeral 26 :and comprises a cup 21 on a neck'ZB with a lip flange 29 on the cup. Here I provide side ears 29 and .30 which serve to accommodate a pivot 3| which in turn serves to accommodate a lever 32 with a suitable shaped and positioned finger trip'or finger-piece 33. carries a padded valve 34 (not detailed here).

The application of my unique venting or portamento producing valve to the trumpet is shown in Figure 2. the numeral 35 andthe bell 361s at one end. The socket member on the other end, the member ;31,, serves to accommodate the mouthpiece, aregular trumpet or cornet mouthpiece 38. The inwhich closes the port termediate coiled portion of the tubing is provided with the usual-arrangement of three fingeroperated valves 39 which are referred to broadly as valving means. Therefore, the'slide A in Figure 1 is the val'ving means for the trombone and the means 39 is the valving means for the I trumpet. My valve is an extra valveandis used when the valves A and 39 are momentarily not in use. My valvein this arrangement is denoted at 40 and is mounted on a lever 4| pivoted at 42 and closed by a suitable spring. The lever has a link or rocker arm 43. which is at a suitable angle and depends below the mouthpiece. A push-pull link or rod 45 is employed and this is pivoted at its left-hand end to the rocker arm 43 and has its intermediate portion slidable The opposite end of the lever Here the tubular body is denoted by through a guide 46 on a hanger bracket 4! on the tubular body. Th right-hand end of the link is hingedly connected at 48 to a finger-piece 49 which in turn is pivotally mounted at 50. Therefore, this finger-piece is in position to be operated by the thumb of the left hand of the trumpet player. The right hand is used, as customary, to control the valve 39.

Itis within the purviewof my invention to install the manually operable close-controlled or remote-controlled extra valve either on the mouthpiece or at some other point in the air column between the mouthpiece and regular valve means on the horn. I have found, however, that it is perhaps best to use it on the mouthpiece.

In experimenting I started with a small hole and enlarged it until I got the desired result. This experimentation brought out the fact that the holefor the valve should at least be of the same diameter as the diameter of the throat in the mouthpiece.

In adopting a preferred embodimentof my invention, I deliberated on the use of various types of valves, such as sleeve valves, slide valves, keytypes, etc. I found out, however, that the simple pivoted water-key-type valve was best for my purposes, which accounts for it being shown as the preferred embodiment in my drawing.

By way of introduction to my claims, Ijwould mention that it is not necessary to do any fingering or slide positioning during the production of the portamento made through the medium of my mechanical aid valve. The latter sets the instrument -free for a moment (a so-called splitsecond) and this is sufficient when alternating the valves to accomplish what is desired.

In operation the instrument, cornet or trombone, isplayed as usual. That is t say the player does not let up on the embouchure or air pressure but continues to blow as usual and ,the air column thus formed in the cup of the mouthpiece is disturbed as soon as possible before it enters the throat and, thus released into the atmosphere, momentarily retards or interrupts the. air column sufiiciently to produce the desired portamento effect.

Depending on the register, of course, one may say, generally or loosely speaking, that tone waves are formed as soon as the air column leaves the throat of the mouthpiece. Any opening be- .yond that point wouldonly cause the tonalwaves to be multiplied; so by producing a relatively small orifice of a diameter no larger than the diameter of the throat,.satisfactory glissing results are assuredly obtainable. ingthe outer endof the port, I

By countersinkhave succeeded inelimination of so-called fuzz-tones. Moreover, byproperlylocating the port and making it of the correct diameter, no audible individual tone is produced; only the portamento is susceptible of production.

A careful consideration of the foregoing description in conjunction with the invention as illustrated in theldrawings will enable the reader to obtain a clearunderstanding and impression of the alleged features of merit and novelty suflicient to clarify the construction-0f the invention -as herein-after claimed.

Minor changes inshape, size, materials and rearrangement of parts maybe resorted to in actual invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what'is 'claimedas new is:

1. A wind'musical instrument comprising, in

combination, a tubular body having an air column for passage of tone waves, having a bell at one end to discharge the tone waves, having a cup mouthpiece at the opposite end, manually actuable conventional valving means intermediate its ends, a pressured air venting portamento producing port provided in said mouthpiece, a valve normally closing said port, and readily accessible means operable by the left hand of the player for momentarily opening said valve, whereby to permit the latter to alternate with said conventional valving means in slurring from one tone to another.

2. A wind musical instrument comprising, in combination, a tubular body having an air column for passage of tone waves, having a bell at one end to discharge the tone waves, having a cup mouthpiece at the opposite end, manually actuable conventional valving means intermediate its ends, and manually controllable normally closed means embodied in the top side of said air column for venting and discharging air under pressure between said valving means and mouthpiece while continuously blowing, as usual, and without, at the venting stage, operating the valving means.

3. A trumpet comprising a tubular body defining an air column and having a bell at one end, a cup mouthpiece at the opposite end, finger depressed valves operable by fingers of the right hand, an auxiliary pressured air ventin port in the air column for discharging air directly into the atmosphere from a point between said valves and mouthpiece and an accessibly operable valve normally closing said port whereby to enable the user to intermittently and momentarily reduce the air force to a minimum and to permit the valved port to be used independently and alternatively in respect to said finger depressed valves for producing a portamento efiect.

4. A slide trombone comprising an elongated tubular body defining the usual air column and including a tone discharge bell at one end, a slide, a bell brace to be grasped with the left hand of the player, a cupped mouthpiece situated adjacent to said bell brace, said mouthpiece having an air relief portamento producing port, a valve normally closing said port, and a fingerpiece carried by said valve and so positioned in relation to said bell brace that it may be operated by the thumb of the left hand to mechanically produce, in conjunction with said slide, desired slurring effects.

5. A cornet comprising a tubular body providing an air column and including a mouthpiece at its inner end, a bell at its outer end and a coiled portion between said ends, conventional valves embodied in said coiled portion, the latter, as usual, being operated by fingers of the right hand, an auxiliary valve embodied in said mouthpiece and remote controlled means for said auxiliary valve mounted on said coiled portion and operable by the left hand of the player, where by alternating the use of said respective valves a portamento may be had.

6. The structure set forth in claim 9, wherein said remote controlled means embodies a pivotally mounted finger-piece on said coiled portion, and a reach rod slidably supported on said coiled portion and respectively connected with said auxiliary valve and finger-piece.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a brass instrument cup mouthpiece comprising a neck having a passage therethrough said passage including a throat portion of predetermined diameter, a cup at one end of said neck, the latter having an air release port in communication with said passage, said port being of a diameter less than the diameter of said throat and a valve mounted on said neck and normally closing said port.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a trombone mouthpiece embodying a neck having a passage for tone waves and a cup for concentrating and feedin the vibrating column of air through said passage, an upwardly opening port formed in said neck and communicating at one end with said passage and opening, at its opposite end, into the atmosphere, and a valve pivoted on said neck and opening upwardly in a direction toward said cup, said valve having a trip lever on one one side and at an angle to said neck.

ANTON SOLARZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,071,526 Martin Aug. 26, 1913 ,703,382 Bernard Feb. 26, 1929 

